Great question and one I've put a fair amount of thought into. Let me give you the full picture.
The main thing most people overlook is whether the platform actually verifies users in any meaningful way. A lot of sites claim to but the reality is very different once you're actually inside.
A few things that have genuinely helped me:
- Free trial is usually limited but still enough to judge real user quality
- Bots usually reveal themselves within the first exchange if you say something specific
- Location-based platforms tend to have better engagement than broad national ones
- Premium tiers are sometimes worth it — but only if the free version shows genuine activity
Ended up landing on Rendate after testing quite a few options. It's not flashy but it does what it says without too much nonsense.
Anyway, hope that gives you something concrete to work with. Feel free to ask follow-up questions.